Asked what she thinks of Maher’s continued interest in her, the 21-year-old tells Zap2it, “I find it really weird, though, that all these adult men, that they’re always trying to say something about me, and they’re older than my dad. They’re just evil. They’re like little girls. I feel like I’m in high school with a bunch of teenage girls. It’s very strange to me.”

Regarding what she would say to Maher, Palin says, “I don’t know. I’m not sure what I would say to Bill. I’d kind of shake my head at him. I think he’s a joke. My mom just heard me say something about Bill Maher [and said], ‘I’d punch him in the throat!’ Someone does need to put him in his place, though.”

“If my dad or any of my guy friends got a hold of him, he’d have another think coming,” she adds in jest. “He is a joke.”

But there are some public figures Palin does like, such as New York Jets quarterback and outspoken Christian Tim Tebow, and his fellow Christian pro athlete, New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin.

“I think people need figures like a Tebow,” she says, “good, positive role models. That’s awesome that they’re rising to the top and more people are talking about them, because that’s what people need. They don’t need more Dennis Rodmans and figures like that. They need good, positive role models for their kids. People are ready for that.”

After enduring intense scrutiny during her teen pregnancy and her on-again, off-again relationship with Johnston (which, unsurprisingly, looks to be off for good), Palin now tours the country talking to young people about the pitfalls of premarital sex — like being a young, unwed mother.

“When you become a mom,” Palin says, “you stop living for yourself, and you’re living for someone else. I’m glad and I’m honored to have Tripp and to be able to live for him. I’m doing my best to provide for him and be the best mom I can be.”

Viewers get to see Palin’s daily life as a loving but struggling single mom in “Life’s a Tripp,” as the outspoken Patheos blogger heads to Los Angeles with her toddler son, Tripp, and her younger sister, Willow.

Palin and all of her family were featured in TLC’s 2010-11 series “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,”
which showcased the wonders of the 49th state. This time, the idea is
more fish out of water, as Palin tries to navigate the rocky shoals of
single motherhood and public notoriety.

“I just want to help others,” Palin says, “and make sure young girls aren’t making some of the same decisions that I’ve made. I’ve said that from day one. If I could just help one girl out there, whether it’s saving her baby or another teenager from getting pregnant, It’s all going to be worth it.

“All the jerks that are talking poorly about myself and my family — all of this will be worth it.”